Rodgers Looking To Replace Kuqi With New Striker

Brendan Rodgers says he’s now looking to bring in a new striker to replace Shefki Kuqi, who joined Derby County on loan today.

The Swansea City manager was told by the club that he loan out or release players in order to bring new players in. He admitted that Kuqi isn’t the sort of player that suits his style and it was the move all round for the 33 year-old to go out and play more regular first team football.

Rodgers told the Official Site:

‘Shefki hasn’t figured a great deal this season and we both felt that the move would be a good chance for him to play some games,”

‘We had an open conversation about it. He’s a good guy and I respect that at the stage of his career, at 33, he wants to play games, which is understandable, and we wish him well at Derby.

‘Shefki’s a great professional, but his strengths are different to the type of game we play here.

‘It also gives me the chance to use the space to bring someone else in.”

Kuqi said that the loan move happened very quickly:

‘The move has come around very quickly to be honest,” he said. ‘I spoke to Robbie Savage who I played with at Blackburn and he told me how great the club was and how I would enjoy my football.

‘Only yesterday I was training with Swansea and within a few hours I was in my car on the way to Derby.

‘I trained with Derby this morning and I’m fit and raring to go. I’ve played a few times this season for Swansea, but this is a fresh start for me and I’m ready to get going.”